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Future studies are warranted to assess the quality of life of caregivers of stroke survivors with and without aphasia.

Little is known about how the burden and strain of caring for stroke patients with or without aphasia affects primary caregivers. This article (a) critically examines the literature on the burden and strain of care experienced by caregivers of stroke patients and (b) examines the relationship between aphasia and caregiver burden and strain. Two literature reviews of three databases were conducted. Fourteen articles (12 quantitative articles, 1 mixed-design article, and 1 qualitative article) were found to comply with the study criteria for the first literature search. A second literature search focused on the effects of stroke survivors' aphasia on caregiving; none of the articles retrieved met the inclusion criteria. This article suggests that there is a lack of research in this area and that several key initiatives are needed, including the development of an instrument with psychometric properties appropriate for assessing the burden and strain on caregivers of stroke patients. Implications for future nursing practice and research are highlighted.

The purpose of this pretest-posttest study was to determine the effect of a PDA-assisted documentation tutorial on fourth-year student nurses' (n=56) attitudes toward computerized documentation, anticipation to exercise of professional judgment when documenting, and satisfaction with computer technology for documentation. Paired t test showed significant increases in anticipation to use professional nursing judgment and satisfaction with the PDA for documentation. Satisfaction with the PDA for documentation was positively and significantly related to attitudes toward computerized documentation (r=.46, P<.01), and satisfaction with a PDA learning tutorial (r=.46, P<.01). Attitudes toward computerized documentation, length of nursing experience, and satisfaction with the PDA learning tutorial predicted satisfaction with the PDA for documentation. Seventy percent of 213 comments about the value of the PDA were favorable. These findings indicate that the PDA may be a valuable documentation tool for teaching professional nursing judgment and documentation skills to undergraduate nursing students.

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